Personal History
I'm a 35yo father of 2, and I love racing my dirt bike in District 23 offroad events around Minnesota, any chance I can get! I've been riding dirt bikes for almost 25 years, but I didn't decide to give racing a try until 2018, when I entered my first Hare Scramble. I was only able to race 2 events that year, but I was hooked! My 1st daughter was born in 2019, so that summer was a little too busy to go racing. Then 2020 saw Covid throw a wrench in the normal summer schedule, and I was only able to make it to another 2 races that year. In 2021, I decided I wanted to take my racing a bit more serious, and see if I could "run with the pack" instead of just staying out of the way. I made it to 6 races that summer, and accomplished my goal of running mid-pack; finishing a best 3rd place at an Enduro in Duquette, MN, and 7th at a Hare Scramble in Brookston, MN.
With a taste of what it felt like to be competitive in the Vet-C class, I entered 2022 determined to see how fast I could be! I threw a new set of tires on my 2016 KTM 350 XC-F, had Checkpoint Off-road rebuild my suspension, and then went out and ripped off a string of 4 consecutive 3rd place finishes! Unfortunately, I (unknowingly) finished the 4th race with a broken collarbone, following a first lap crash, and had to put my season on pause for 6 weeks. I was able to come back for the final 3 races of the year, and finished 3rd, 6th, 4th. My abbreviated season was good enough for 9th in the final Vet-C Hare Scramble standings, 7th in the Vet-C Enduro standings, and enough "Rider Advancement Points" for the AMA to bump me up to B-class for 2023.
Riding Goals
• This is going to be a learning season for me; I rode well enough in 2022 to get automatically advanced to B-Class for 2023, so adapting and conditioning for a 2hr format will likely be my biggest challenge.
• I also bought a new bike for this season; the switch from a 2016 KTM 350 XC-F to a 2023 Honda CRF250RX will undoubtedly require some adjustments to my riding style, but my goal with the change is to increase my agility and speed in tighter sections.
• Beyond adjusting to a longer format and a new bike, I'm setting a personal goal to finish a race in the top 10 of my (Vet B) class by the end of the year.